UK Horse Racing Tips

The legendary Frankie Dettori stole the show at Ascot once again on Saturday as he won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the Champion Stakes in quick succession. Persuasive was an impressive winner in the former, but it was Cracksman in the latter that really set the pulses racing. It was by far and away the best performance from a colt all season as he finished seven lengths clear of Poet’s Word. It completed a 23/1 double for a jubilant Dettori, and ensured he upstaged Aiden O’Brien on a blustery day at Ascot. The Irish trainer equalled a world record on Saturday by recording his 25th Group 1 victory of the season, but his thunder was well and truly stolen by Dettori. It was also a day to remember for Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom, who landed one of the gambles of the season as Librisa Breeze won the Champions Sprint – Bloom’s first ever Group 1 winner – after his team had beaten West Ham 3-0 in the Premiership.

But this glorious day belonged to Detorri, who rode his first ever Group 1 winner when he was victorious in the 1990 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. O’Brien had not even gained his licence back then, and it was fitting that Detorri won the race again on Saturday, 27 years after his inaugural success. Ribchester, the leading miler in Europe this season, started as the 2-1 favourite, but Persuasive was too strong in the desperate conditions. Ribchester led the race two furlongs out, but Persuasive loved the ground and found a change of gear to surge past him, winning by a length as Detorri eased her up towards the end. O’Brien’s Churchill was third in a very strong field, and Detorri was delighted with the win. He performed his trademark flying dismount in the winner’s enclosure and praised Persuasive’s “exceptional turn of foot”.

But the best was yet to come as Detorri rode Cracksman to an astonishingly dominant victory. His performance conjured up memories of his sire, Frankel, but even that great horse did not win this race with the level of dominance displayed by Cracksman on this blustery day. He is the first son of Frankel to win a Group 1 race and it banished memories of his near miss in the Epsom Derby. Cracksman has improved greatly over the course of the year and was rampant on Saturday. He destroyed Poet’s Word and finished well clear of multiple G1 winner Highland Reel, leading Detorri to call it a “fantastic feeling” as he claimed his first ever Champion Stakes.

On that showing, the only three-year-old middle distance horse in the business that could stop Cracksman would be stablemate Enable, who won the Arc de Triomphe in similarly sensational fashion. Enable is the favourite to win it next year, but Cracksman has now been installed as second favourite and Detorri will be faced with the most difficult decision of his career should these two race against one another next year. Who to ride, Enable or Cracksman? A month ago the answer would have been obvious, but now there is little to split them.

At SportingIndex.com Cracksman and Enable will be the ones to watch next season as they have both killed spread betting winning distances wagers in the Champions Stakes and the Arc.

Their trainer, John Gosden, has nine wins at G1 this season and he has had a great year, which puts O’Brien’s achievement in context. The Ballydoyle maestro equalled the world record set by Bobby Frankel in the USA in 2003 after Hydrangea battled through the slop to win the Fillies And Mares Stakes, O’Brien’s 25th G1 winner of the year. The Irish trainer was visibly delighted, but he may have been even happier to see favourite Order of St George snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as he made up a four-length deficit to win the G2 Long Distance Cup by half a length from Torcedor in dramatic fashion.

Order of St George was the heavily backed favourite, and that win along with Detorri’s double will have made it a profitable day for many punters. The other big winner on the day was Librisa Breeze, who got the better of several big names to claim the British Champions Sprint. Harry Angel was sent off as favourite and The Tin Man, Caravaggio and Quiet Reflection all lined up in a terrifyingly competitive field, but Librisa Breeze relished the heavy going, put in a commanding performance and came in at 10-1. “This is my first Group 1 so that is very special,” said Bloom, who completed a hat-trick after Brighton won and Withhold took the Cesarewithch. “It has been an incredible eight days.”

Author bio

Martin Green is an experienced horseracing correspondent and tipster and has covered the sport of kings for many years.

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